6:30 PM, Wed 9th Septemberat the Migrant Resource Centre100 Buckley St, MorwellFor more info phone Ben on 0413 580 706Worldwide, people are protesting to close polluting coal fired power stations to stop global warming. Unions are protesting against the owners of the power stations for their members’ conditions and jobs. The owners of the power stations like International Power are threatening to close them if they can’t be run at a profit.When the power industry was privatised in the 1990s, around 16 000 jobs were lost in the Valley, devastating the community. Can we prevent a repeat of this disaster? Can clean energy provide jobs for the valley and protect the environment?Come along to this forum to hear speakers and join the discussion.

A few reasons...a) to have fun;b) to see who's the most intelligent amongst us; andc) to raise a few bucks to support the community protest Switch Off Hazelwood at Victoria's dirtiest coal-fired power station, 12-13 Sept

On Sunday September 12-13, 2009 people from across Victoria, and Australia, will come together for a peaceful community mass civil disobedience to Switch off Hazelwood and Switch off Coal -taking action for renewable energy.

Switch off Hazelwood. Switch off Coal is the first in a series of national fun, creative and inspiring community mass civil disobedience actions at one of the main causes of climate change - coal burning power stations.

Hazelwood coal power station is one of the dirtiest coal stations in the industrialised world, spewing an average of 17 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. Hazelwood was scheduled to be shut down in 2005, however it was given a life-line by the ALP stateGovernment to keep operation until 2031. We need to remove that lifeline and extend it to climate protection and renewable energy.

This polluter of the past has to be switched off to allow us to switch on renewable energy for the future.

We are all affected by climate change and it is time for us to remove the social licence for polluting dinosaurs like Hazelwood.

Join us for a peaceful day of community protest and mass civil disobedience. Be creative, be inspired and be there!

There are many opportunities for people to get involved in making this event happen from joining the creative collective, media team, community outreach group or even helping with our fundraising Trivia night on Aug 15.

If you would like to know more about the event, or how to get involved, email info@switchoffhazelwood.org or come along to our weekly organising meetings every Thursday, 6pm at the Climate Action Centre: Level 5, New (rear) Building, Victorian Trades Hall, Cnr Victoria and Lygon Sts, Carlton South.

CLIMATE EMERGENCY RALLY 2008

On July 5 2008, over 4000 people rallied in Melbourne to protest government inaction in the face of climate emergency. We spelt out the words CLIMATE EMERGENCY!140 metres long to highlight the urgency and spread the word.Look at a collection of pictures of the day (including the aerial shots).The rally demands were:BRUMBY & RUDD, GET SERIOUS!RENEWABLE ENERGY not coal powerPUBLIC TRANSPORT not new freewaysNO DESALINATION PLANTNO BAY DREDGING